Executable relational specifications of polymorphic type systems using prolog
Paper in proceeding, 2016
A concise, declarative, and machine executable specification of the Hindley–Milner type system (HM) can be formulated using logic programming languages such as Prolog. Modern functional language implementations such as the Glasgow Haskell Compiler support more extensive flavors of polymorphism beyond Milner’s theory of type polymorphism in the late 70's. We progressively extend the HM specification to include more advanced type system features. An interesting development is that extending dimensions of polymorphism beyond HM resulted in a multi-staged solution: resolve the typing relations first, while delaying to resolve kinding relations, and then resolve the delayed kinding relations. Our work demonstrates that logic programing is effective for prototyping polymorphic type systems with rich features of polymorphism, and that logic programming could have been even more effective for specifying type inference if it were equipped with better theories and tools for staged resolution of different relations at different levels.
Parametric polymorphism
Logic programming
Functional language
Type inference
Type system
Nested datatype
Delayed goals
Unification
Algebraic datatype
Type constructor polymorphism
Prolog
Higher-kinded Polymorphism
Hindley–Milner
Kind polymorphism
Author
Ki Yung Ahn
Portland State University
Andrea Vezzosi
Chalmers, Computer Science and Engineering (Chalmers), Computing Science (Chalmers)
Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
03029743 (ISSN) 16113349 (eISSN)
Vol. 9613 109-125978-331929603-6 (ISBN)
Subject Categories
Computer and Information Science
DOI
10.1007/978-3-319-29604-3_8
ISBN
978-331929603-6